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Sen. Sherrod Brown takes Byrd's place on Appropriations Committee

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) on Thursday was selected to take the place of the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) on the powerful Appropriations Committee.

Byrd, who passed away this month, was a former chairman of the panel. His last term at the helm ended after he stepped down in early 2009 due to his increasing frailty in old age.

"I look forward to joining my colleagues on the committee — including Chairman [Daniel] Inouye [D-Hawaii] and Ranking Member [Thad] Cochran [R-Miss.] to ensure budget dollars are allocated in the most effective way possible to promote economic progress and fiscal stability," Brown said in a statement after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) picked him to fill the vacancy.

Brown is a first-term senator who also serves on two keys committees that worked on financial and healthcare reform legislation.

The Ohio senator said he would direct funds to the Buckeye State, much like Byrd did for West Virginia.

“This is about Ohio getting its fair share of federal resources that promote economic development,” Brown said. “For too long, Ohio has been a donor state — with Ohio taxpayers supporting other states by paying out more in federal taxes than our state receives."